Houthis capture Yemeni town of Mocha: Why it matters

Houthi forces grabbed control of the Yemeni port city of Mocha on Thursday, in a major offensive that comes amid escalated fighting between the Iran-aligned movement and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.Hundreds of women and children left Mocha, seeking shelter in the Saudi-backed government-controlled provinces of Lahij and Aden, as the growing violence also threatened to exacerbate an already devastating humanitarian crisis across the Taiz and al-Hodeidah provinces, where more than 20,000 people have been displaced due to clashes over the past two weeks.Al Jazeera’s Yemeni affairs editor, Ahmed al-Shalafi, highlighted the immediate civilian toll of the military shift. “Areas south of Hodeidah and Mocha witnessed waves of displacement towards Dhubab and Aden,” he said.Sudden withdrawalThe fall of Mocha is the culmination of a massive Houthi offensive that exposed vulnerabilities within government-aligned defences. According to al-Shalafi, the Houthis applied pressure from three distinct axes starting on September 3: western Taiz, southern Hodeidah, and Mocha city itself.The combat was intense on the outskirts of Mocha.A key factor that helped the Houthis take control of the city wa...